How The New Testament Was Canonized

A couple of months ago—now it goes months—I thought it would be just a few weeks—but a couple of months ago, I gave a sermon in a series of two sermons about how the Old Testament was canonized and also inspired by God. Today, I want to continue with that and cover how the New Testament was canonized. As I mentioned in that first sermon, Jesus endorsed, as we know, the three sections of the division of the Old Testament—that's the law, the prophets, and the writings—and Jesus recognized the order of the books from the first to the last.

And I also explained that in the various synagogues, they had replicas of the temple scriptures, so they all had the same copy of the Old Testament. Also in that sermon, I covered that the Old Testament went through what we call five canonizations.

In other words, when the books were put together and decided that these were the books that are part of the Old Testament. The first canonization, as we discussed in that sermon, was done by Moses, identifying those first few books. And the last canonization of the Old Testament was done by Ezra. Now, the term canon is a Greek term, which means a measuring rod, or put it another way, a list of recognized sacred holy scriptures.

The Catholic Church, they used the term to declare a dead person in the list of recognized saints. But we are talking about something else. We're talking about those books that are part of the holy scriptures. Like when we discussed about the Old Testament canonization, we basically have two simple, very straightforward approaches. Number one, either the Bible is to be trusted, in other words, the set of books, or let's call it the canon, you know, it was the recognized list of the books of the sacred and holy scriptures, is complete, or the Bible, second option, evolved over the first few centuries, a type of human progressive evolution of the New Testament.

So we have, basically, again, two options. We either trust the Bible and the lost surviving apostle being John. He completed the canonization of the New Testament, or then it evolved over the time after the apostles. Now, the first approach is what we in God's church believe. We believe that the New Testament was canonized at the time of the apostles, and the last canonization of the New Testament was done by the apostle John.

The other approach that the Bible evolved is the approach which is promoted by prominent and secular scholars. It's also promoted by the Roman Catholic Church, and is also promoted by various other fictional writings, such as the Da Vinci Code. Those scholars and leaders, which support that progressive evolution of the New Testament, refer to various disputes which doubters during the first centuries they had.

And, of course, there are always people arguing about different things. But they do not have scripture as their authority. Basically, the issue is the following, brethren. Who has the authority to declare something holy? In other words, who has the authority to set apart for holy use? Anything. It could be the Sabbath, like a day, whatever. Who has that authority?

God? O man, such as the Roman Catholic Church. And obviously, you know the answer. In 393 AD, in the late 4th century, there was a Roman Catholic Church sonat hosted by Hippo Rejos in Northern Africa. And he listed the canon. In other words, he listed which scriptures were part of the Old and New Testament. And he included in that what we call the Apocrypha.

Now, we discussed that during the first sermon. The Apocrypha and some of its heretic writings and teachings are covered before. And that canon, or that list, was approved later in the year 397 by the Council of Cothage. That means, if we take that authority, that means the Roman Catholic Church, as the authority, declares something holy. And therefore, it is, quote, the Mother Church. Well, the Bible does call it the Mother of All It's, but that is not a very nice comment to be frank, but it's true. Therefore, the Apocrypha, or those extra books, added in the Old Testament, has heretic or false teachings, or heretic writings, which support Roman Catholic teachings.

The Roman Catholic Church has emerged out of the Council of Nicaea. That was 325 AD. That was by the time of the year 30. That was before that. And it then had, and still has, different teachings than the New Testament Church. The year 325 AD, Brethren, the Council of Nicaea, is a very important date to remember, because that's the date that they officially changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and officially changed the Passover of the 14th of the first month to Easter Sunday.

That's when it became law. And all the churches today follow that. You know that. The churches in the world follow that.

So, we can see that over the years, and after like four centuries after Christ, there was already that progressive transition from the truth, which was preached and practiced by the apostles, to a false Christianity. And that false Christianity then was the one that canonized things like other books, like the Apocrypha and others. And then there were also, in addition to that, there have been fictional writers, like the Da Vinci Code. Oh, you get people that talk, oh, the Da Vinci Code, which claim that other New Testament gospels were discovered.

And they say they were kept out of the New Testament because of a Roman Catholic plot. So, you see this controversy of one wrong against a different wrong. And it's all, if you read the Da Vinci Code, it might be a great novel, but it's not the truth.

Brethren, the important point that we need to remember is that the Roman Catholic Church had nothing to do with creating the canon of the New Testament. It was Christ's apostles that had that right and delegated authority.

We in God's Church believe that God is the one that declares something holy, and in this case, the holy scriptures. It is God that sanctifies. He sanctifies the holy Sabbath, he sanctifies the holy days, and he sanctifies the holy Bible. The apostles, under God's inspiration, and specifically under Christ's guidance, had already determined and declared or proclaimed by the end of the first century which books were and which books were not part of the New Testament canon. In other words, part of holy scripture. Turn with me to 2 Timothy 3, verse 16. In 2 Timothy 3, verse 16, we read, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. You see, one of the supreme instruments that God uses to prepare his people, he is his word. I said one because the other one is his spirit. You see, the two convicting agents are God's spirit and God's word, and they work together.

God did not leave to human beings the determination of which books were holy or not. In other words, God was specifically involved, and indeed, he, God through Christ, was literally involved in putting together the New Testament through Christ's words and those that inspired through his apostles. So let's see in first place how Christ was personally involved. Let's start in Deuteronomy 18. In Deuteronomy 18, starting from verse 15, Deuteronomy 18 verse 15, we see what Moses said, Deuteronomy 18 verse 15 through 19. The Lord your God will raise for you a prophet like me. You know, it was like Moses. From your midst, from your brethren, him you shall hear.

Moses prophesied that it would be a greater prophet than Moses that would be coming in the future. And if we just jump a little bit further to verse 18 and 19, and he says, I'll raise up for them. So this is quoting what God said to Moses. I'll raise up for them a prophet like you, like Moses, from among their brethren. And I will put my words, God the Father's words, in his mouth. And you and I know that that prophet was Christ. And he shall speak to them all that I command him. And it shall be, verse 19, that whoever will not hear my words, which he, which is Christ, will speak in my name. I will require it of him. That's a very stern statement. Now we know that that prophet was not John the Baptist, because in John 121, when they asked John the Baptist, who are you? Are you this? Are you that? Are you the prophet? He said, no. But let's read Acts 3, verse 19. Acts 3, verse 19. And we're going to read here what Peter was saying, starting from verse 19.

EA Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that ye may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of the Lord. For Moses truly said to the fathers, will not hear that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed. I read in the Old Testament, it said, I'll require it of him. Yeah, in the New Testament, it said, shall be utterly destroyed from amongst the people. Christ had a personal involvement, and he came, and he became the very word of God when he spoke to his disciples, and when he delegated his disciples to further complete that testimony. You see, that prophet is Christ, and he is in a sense like Moses, but greater. But greater. You see, prophecy points to Christ. Think about it. Prophecy points to Christ. All the prophetic events that are to come hinge around Christ. And when he comes, he'll bring the world tomorrow. Everything, all prophecies around Christ. That's why it says he's the spirit of prophecy. It's all about him and what he's going to come and he's going to do and he's going to bring to this planet earth. And remember, therefore, that not only the prophets pointed to Christ, but the law also pointed to Christ. The law also pointed to Christ. Think about the offerings pointed to Christ. Passover pointed to Christ. Now, when it says he'll be like Moses, but greater than Moses, let's look what Moses was to Pharaoh. Now think about it. You may have not noticed this, but what was Moses to Pharaoh? Look at Exodus 4, verse 16.

So Moses was saying, well, I can't speak. So he said, okay, you can have your spokesman as Aaron. And so he says in verse 16, so he shall be your spokesman. That's Aaron to the people. And himself shall be as a mouth for you, Moses. And you, Moses, shall be to him. That's to Pharaoh. Has God.

Has God. Look at chapter 7, verse 1. Exodus chapter 7, verse 1. So the Lord said to Moses, see, I've made you, Moses, as God to Pharaoh. And Aaron, your brother, shall be your prophet. So Moses had a very high authority, a man with authority at that time, like God. But think about that prophet, which is Christ. He is God. He is a God-being. He is, and he was when he was living in a flesh, God in a flesh. John 1, verse 1, he says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And in verse 14, he says, and the Word was manifested in the flesh.

You read in Philippians chapter 2, verse 6. Philippians chapter 2, verse 6. Talking about Christ, as you read in verse 5, let the smile be in you as it was in Christ. Verse 6, who being in the form of God. Christ was of the God-kind. He did not consider it robbery. In other words, he did not consider it to be identity theft, to be equal with God. And he made himself of no reputation. He came as a man, and he humbled himself, and then he even died for us. Look at Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 8 and 9. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 8 and 9. But to the Son, he says, it was God the Father says to the Son, which is Jesus Christ. God the Father says to the Son, Your throne, O God. God the Father is calling Christ God.

Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever. A set of righteousness is the setter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions. You see, Moses was a type of God to Pharaoh, to the wall then. But today, we have Christ as the prophet, which was really God personally involved. And he, Christ, what he says, if we don't listen, it will be required of us. For in other words, we will be utterly destroyed. You see, Christ was much higher in authority than Moses. He was God, he is God. He was in the form of God, of the Godkind, of the God-kingdom, but always submissive to the Father. And so, Christ came to the earth, and what was one of the things he did as he came to the earth? Turn with me, please, to Isaiah 42, verse 21. Isaiah 42, verse 21. The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake. He will exalt the law and make it honorable. We know that that is talking about Christ. He exalted the law and made it honorable. Put it in other words, Christ magnified the law. He amplified the law from a pure letter of the law to a spiritual application of the law. The Sermon on the Mount is a beautiful exposition of how Christ expounded or magnified the law. So let's turn to Matthew 5. Matthew 5, verse 17.

In Matthew 5, 17, we read, Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets, but I do not come to destroy but to fulfill. You know, quite often we think, and it is correct, we think that Christ fulfilled the law. In other words, he obeyed the law. But there is also an additional important meaning. Yeah, he fulfilled the law. In other words, the law pointed to the real sacrifice. He fulfilled that. He fulfilled that. The prophets pointed to a soon-coming Savior, and he fulfilled that. He fulfilled the law and the prophets. He didn't just obey it, but he completed the significance and the deep meaning of the law and the prophets. And indeed, he did amplify the law. If you read the following verses in chapter 5, you see quite often, it says, You have heard, but I am now expanding it beyond. You see that in verse 21. You see that in verse 27. You see that in verse 31. You see that in verse 33. You see that in verse 38. You see that in verse 43. He says, You have heard, but I am lifting the law, magnifying the law to a higher standard. In other words, the Word, which became Christ, He completed. He fulfilled. He announced the Old Testament with the New Testament. In other words, He completed the Bible.

Look at Isaiah chapter 8 verse 13. Isaiah chapter 8 verse 13.

Isaiah chapter 8 verse 13. The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow. Let him be your fear. Let him be your dread. He will be as a sanctuary, but as a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. That's what Christ did to both the houses of Israel as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. That's what He did. And many among them shall stumble. They shall fall and be broken, be sneered and taken. That is the Lord of hosts. So in this context, He's talking about Christ. But look at verse 18. I beg your pardon, verse 16. The next verse. Verse 16. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

Bind. Complete. Canonize. Put it complete. And it says the testimony. So it's what Christ did and what apostles did, the testimony. That was bound. And so what do we have? Yeah, it's a prophecy that there would be a New Testament and it would be canonized in a words bound by Jesus Christ's disciples. And indeed it was. You think about, for instance, the Gospels. We got Matthew. We got Mark. Mark was Peter's scribe. And so we wrote not only Mark, but Peter's letters because he was Peter's scribe. We got Luke. Who was Luke? It was Paul's scribe. And so he wrote Paul's epistles for Paul. We got John. And you know how John wrote the book of John and epistles of John and even the book of Revelation. No, it's not only them. There were others like James and Jude, which was James' brother. But the point is the canonization or the bounding or the selection of which books were in the Holy Scriptures as far as the New Testament was done by Christ's apostles. Let's look at that in a little bit more detail. The disciples knew that Jerusalem was going to be taken captive and destroyed. And they had to quickly canonize the New Testament. How did they know? Because Jesus told them. We'll see it in a moment. And therefore they had a sense of urgency. They said, you gotta do it now before A.D. 70. We'll see that in the writings of Peter shortly, in 2 Peter chapter 1. So Peter had the responsibility to do that. And upon Peter's death, that was passed on to John, the apostle. And so, let's look a little bit more carefully at what Peter did. And some of the letters here are amazing when we really get down to it. Peter told Paul to pick and select his best letters. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 9. 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 9. 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 9. Be diligent, that's Paul writing, to come to me quickly. For demons has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonika. Crescens went to Galatia. Titus went to Dalmatia. And only look, that's Paul's scribe, is with me. Now get Mark, now who was Mark? Mark was Peter's scribe. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for the ministry. Because he was selecting his letters, and he was going to give them to Mark to give them to Peter. And then he says, and tikas are sent to Ephesus. Bring the cloak. What is a cloak? Well, some people may think, oh well, bring the coat. What's that got to do with bringing a coat? That are left with coppers and throwers when you come, and the books, and especially the parchments. You see, the cloak, according to Vincent's word study, volume 4, Epistles, reads a wrapper of parchments, a roll case. So bring that container, that cloak, that wrapper of parchments, with his right letters, and that's why he says, and the books, and especially the parchments. Paul would then choose the 14 letters, and he could even rewrite them if necessary, and the rest he would destroy. Let's now look at 2 Peter chapter 1. I mentioned a bit earlier that I would comment about Peter in chapter 1. So let's look at 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 10 and 11. 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 10 and 11.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call an election sure, for if you do these things, you'll never stumble. For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So Peter is saying, as we know, grow from faith, to knowledge, self-control, etc. He gives us a growth list of points, and he says to the brethren, be diligent to work on these things, because if you work on these things, you'll never leave the church, and you will then enter in the kingdom of God. So this was written about 67 AD, just before the destruction of the temple. And he is saying, if we read now verse 12, For this reason I, now note it's in the first person, it's Peter, I, Peter, will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I, Peter, in the first person, it is right, as long as I, Peter, am still alive, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, knowing that I'm going to die soon, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.

Now Peter knew he was going to die shortly. Now why would Christ tell Peter, you're going to die shortly? Because he had a job to do before he died, and he said, you've got to do that job. Moreover, I, Peter, will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my disease. How? By canonizing the New Testament up to that point, and he had the instruction from Christ to do that. I will make sure that I'll do that, that after I die, you have the stuff, that you know it, that you'll never forget it.

Verse 16. Up to young brethren note that he was referring in the first person, I. Right? You saw that. Verse 12, I. Verse 13, I. Verse 14, I. That's Peter. But now look at verse 16. In verse 16 it says, for we. There's no more I, but we. Who is we? For we did not follow cunning the vice fables, when we were made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. What is he talking about? You know, the transformation. Do you remember the transformation? That there were three people that saw the transformation of Christ to be in the kingdom, right? Who are those three people?

Was Peter, James, and John. What he says, for he received from God the Father honor and glory, when such a voice came to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. He's clearly talking about the transfiguration. Then what happened there? In verse 18, and we heard this voice, again, who is we? Peter, James, and John, which came from heaven when we were with him in Holy Mountain. You can read about the transfiguration in Matthew 17, 1 through verse 6. But you know, if you read in Acts 12, verse 1 and 2, James died. James died. He was the first apostle to be martyred. So who is the we that were alive at that moment of those three? Was Peter and John. God gave the responsibility of the canonization of the New Testament to Peter and John. So before his death in late 68 AD, Peter canonized the first canonization of the New Testament with 22 books. And then later, by the end of the first century, the apostle John completed the New Testament canonization by adding another five books. The Gospel of John, the epistles of 1, 2, and 3 John, and the Book of Revelation. And so the New Testament has 27 books.

Now, as I mentioned in the first sermon about the canonization of the Old Testament, we saw that the Old Testament has 22 books. Now, I know they were subdivided like there was 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel. They were subdivided into more books. But without that subdivision, there were 22 books. The New Testament has got 27 books. You write down 22 plus 27 and what number do you get? 49. 49 books, as a whole, before they split up into different books.

And 7 times 7 is 49, which means complete perfection.

And so the Old Testament had five canonizations. The New Testament has two canonizations, which makes seven completely canonized. And that completed was by Peter and John. And so we were reading in 2 Peter, so let's continue reading in chapter 1, but now in verse 19. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed. What is the prophetic word? What we know in John 1.1, the word was Christ. And we know that in Revelation 19 verse 10, that the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy. And so, by implication, the vital and principal part of prophecy pointed to Christ. And what Christ did, and the testimony of His disciples, is what we have in the New Testament. And that is the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns. Verse 20, knowing that the first, I beg your pardon, knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture, now at that time, Scripture obviously was the Old Testament, is of any private interpretation. But by the context, you can also see that it is implying also and including that this prophetic word, which is the New Testament, is also Scripture. Look at 2 Peter in chapter 3. So just a page later in chapter 3, verse 15 and 16. It says, and consider that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation as also our brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him has written to you, as also all his epistles, all of Paul's epistles that were selected, speaking in them of these things in which are some things are to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction. And they still do that today with Paul's writings, as they do also to the rest of the Scriptures. Therefore, Peter is saying, yeah, that Paul's writings, Paul's epistles, are part of Scripture. Look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13. But we are bound to give thanks, I beg your pardon, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13. For this reason, we also thank God without seizing because when you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, the Word of God, which you heard from us. And then continuing, you welcomed it not as the Word of man, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. For you, brethren, become imitators of the churches of God, which are in Christ Jesus. And so what we have here is the faithful brethren knew, they knew that Paul's writings were part of the Word of God because this is Paul writing, yeah, which you heard from us. And look at also in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12.

We read, For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the vision of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow. It is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. How can the Word of God be sharp if you and I, as members of the Church of God, don't know which books are in the Word of God? Because we do know. We got the sure Word of Scripture. We have God's Word. I know people, as I mentioned in another sermon, that have tried to twist certain parts of Scripture, but we do have God's Word. We do have all the books that God's given to us. Now, later, during the second century, the early writings of the so-called fathers of the Church prove that the New Testament canon already existed in the second century. Sure, there were attempts to change the New Testament canon, but God is faithful, and it does not change. Now, let's look at some attempts to destroy God's Word. Now, the New Testament warns us of various spurious or false writings. Look at 2 Corinthians 11. 2 Corinthians 11, verse 4.

For he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, and a different spirit, which we have not received, and a different gospel, which we have not accepted. And you may well put up with it. So he's warning us, be careful! And look at verse 13 and 15. For such are false apostles, false workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, he says, there were false writings. And some of those false writings have survived. And so people call them the lost books of the Bible. No wonder we're lost. There is a title for it. It's called the Seidopeigrapher. Those are the books that attempt to imitate Scripture. Put it in other ways. They're fake. In modern way, you just say, just fake books. They were written under false names. They forgeries. They were written from about 200 years before Christ to 300 years after Christ for a period of 500 years.

And this Seidopeigrapher may be of interest to students of history. But they are not the inspired Word of God.

There are three basic reasons why we need to reject those fake writings. Number one, they were written under false names. So any pretense or falsehood that naturally negates its claim to truthfulness. Number two, they contain anachronisms. Now what is an anachronism? It's like for instance, if you have a movie about when your grandparents or great-grandparents, like in the early 19th century, a little movie that goes like click, click, click, click, click. And you had somebody in that movie with an iPad, you would say that's an anachronism because they had no iPads at that time. You see, so anachronism is something that claimed to be of a certain date, but they're not. And therefore, they are historical errors. And thirdly, another reason to reject them, because they have outright heresy. The apostle Paul had to deal with that in his own day, because he talks about if anybody writes to you a letter as if it is from us. You read that in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 1 and 2. You also read in chapter 3 verse 17, when it says as if, you know, they had our writings. And you read that also other areas that it shows they were forging his writings. 1st Corinthians 16 21, Galatians 6 11. Now, there are many books under this category of pseudo-pygrapher. You know what's fake? Let me just list for you a few. They are fake. They are the Testament of Isaiah, the vision of Isaiah, the books of Enoch, the secrets of Enoch, the book of Noah, the apocalypse of Baruch. Now, Baruch was Jeremiah's scribe, according to Jeremiah 3 6 4. Then there is the rest of the words of Baruch, the Psalter of Solomon, the Audis of Solomon, the testimony of the 12 patriarchs, the Testament of Adam, the Testament of Abraham, the Testament of Job, the Apocalypse of Ezra, the Prayer of Joseph, Elijah the prophet, a book with that title, Zechariah the prophet, Zechariah the father of John, the itinerary of Paul, the acts of Paul. You know, they have similar names, but they're fake. The Apocalypse of Paul, the itinerary of Peter, the itinerary of Thomas, the Gospel according to Thomas, the history of James, the Gospel of James, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Gospel of Philip, the Apocalypse of Peter, the Epistles of Barnabas, and I could go on. There are other others.

And what about that people say, oh well, what about the lost Gospels? You know, some of the Gospels were lost. You know, in 1 Peter 1 verse 25 says, the Word of God endures forever. How can it be lost? How can it be lost? You know, Ephesians 6 verse 13 through 17, he talks about put on the armor of God, and there he says the sword is God's Word. How can it be broken because part of it was lost? John 10.35 says scripture cannot be broken. What about books quoted in the Bible? Just because a book is quoted in the Bible does not mean it's part of scripture. In Numbers 21.14 talks about the book of the Wars of the Lord. In Samuel 2.1.18 talks about the book of Joshua. In 1 Kings 11.41 talks about the book of the Acts of Solomon. In 1 Chronicles 29.29 talks about the book of Samuel the Seer. In 2 Chronicles 9.29 talks about the book of Nathan the prophet, and so on. Like a minister can quote a book does not mean that's part of the Bible.

In summary, brethren, John finalized the canonization of the New Testament. The New Testament was canonized by Peter and John. And John wrote the last book, which is the book of Revelation. In Revelation 1 verse 11, he says that an angel was sent to the churches in Asia Minor, and the early New Testament Church of God had the whole Bible. They had the whole sword. They had the whole New Testament. You know, when he writes to the seven churches, they had the Bible. The seven churches. And then you're reading Revelation 21. And let's just go to Revelation now, as we come to conclude. Revelation 21. Look at verse 5. Revelation 21 verse 5. And it says, And then he that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. And he said to me, It is done.

In the big picture of what we're talking about, God's word was written, and it's done. All that is necessary for you and I to be God's children is written down in the Bible. That's why it says in verse 7, it says, Whoever comes shall inherit all things, and I'll be his God, and he shall be my son. All that we need is in the Bible. Then a little later, in chapter 22 verse 6, in chapter 22 verse 6 says, These words are faithful and true, and the Lord God of the holy prophet sent his angel to sow his servants the things which must shortly come to pass. Behold, I'll come quickly. And then look at verse 16. It says, I Jesus sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star. Jesus Christ was actively involved in making sure the New Testament was accurately recorded, and he sent his messenger, and the message was written and completely canonized by the end of the first century. Jesus Christ was personally involved. The New Testament Church has always had the complete Bible. We today, in today's Church of God, we have the complete Bible. We have the sure word of prophecy, which is testified in the churches of God.

Remember Adam and Eve? Remember the story of Adam and Eve when they sent? And they were sent out of the garden, and then you read there was a flaming sword put around the tree of life. God has put a flaming sword in analogy to protect his Bible, his word. You during this week, you probably read the Autonomy 4 because we've been reading a chapter of the Autonomy every day. And in the Autonomy 4 verse 2, you read right at the beginning of the law when it was said to Moses that God said, do not add and do not take away from it. That is at the beginning, the beginning of the law. Now, at the end of the book of Revelation, in verse 18 and 19 says, Revelation 22 verse 18 and 19 says, For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in his book. It's like a flaming sword protecting God's word. Sure, in the context, he's talking about a book of Revelation, but the book of Revelation is the last book. And so we had at the beginning, in the Autonomy 4, don't add, don't take away. We have at the end, in Revelation, don't add, don't take away. God is protecting his Bible, and we got 49 books. But yeah, in this very verse, he talks about another book, the book of life, which will be the 50th book. And brethren, we gotta be ready, and we gotta understand that he's coming quickly. We live in difficult times, but we can be assured that we have God's completed word, and we can rely on it because it is God's word, and he who does not pay attention to it, as Peter said, he will be utterly destroyed.